Netanyahu Promises New Homes For Illegal Amona Settlers

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By Marcy Oster March 16, 2017

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured the residents of the evacuated outpost of Amona that he would honor his commitment to them to “build a new community,” hours before a meeting with an envoy of the Trump administration.

Netanyahu was scheduled to meet Thursday, for the second time this week, with Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s adviser on international relations, who has been touring Israel and the Palestinian areas since Monday to gauge attitudes to peacemaking. Netanyahu met with Greenblatt on Monday; the envoy also met this week in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as with with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Israeli military officials, Palestinian children in a West Bank refugee camp, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Aman.

Netanyahu reiterated his promise to build the first official new settlement in 25 years during a meeting of his Cabinet on Thursday morning.

“We are in the midst of a process of dialogue with the White House and our intention is to reach an agreed-upon policy regarding settlement construction. Agreed-upon for us, of course, not just for the American side. Naturally, this will be good for the State of Israel since we have not been in these processes for many years. To the residents of Amona, I reiterate: I gave you a promise to build a new community and I will honor that commitment,” the prime minister said.

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